Overview
The US college applications are extremely daunting and overwhelming and very tiring BUT in a way, it's insanely fun and exciting to say the least. You get to learn a lot about yourself in the process and there's a sense of pride when you finally finish wiritng an essay or submit an application.
USA takes pride in their holistic application process. The 'holistic' approach simply means that colleges/universities in the US looks at multiples factors beyond just your GPA and test scores to get a complete picture of you. What this basically means is that, along with your academics (GPA, test scores), you'll also need to submit 'extra information' that reflects you as a whole person. These 'extra information' include:
- Your Extra-Curricular activities
- Your Honors or Awards
- Your Background (Family, Finances etc.)
- Letters of Recommendation
- And most importantly, lots of Essays
Application Timeline
Before we get to the actual application, I think it's very imporant to understand the entire timeline for US admissions. It's an insanely long process, lasting over 5-8 months. The whole process is actually like 2+ years if you think about it. In the US, high school is 9-12 grade, and applications start during your 12th grade. You read that correctly. You need to apply before you give your HSC or A Levels.
But if we haven't given our exams yet, what are we supposed to show to the university?
This is where the whole 'holistic' process comes in. US universities look at your entire profile throughout high school. So, you have to show everything you have done and achieved in these 4 years.
If you're a 9th grader or below, you still have lots of time left, find you passion and plan out what you're gonna do in the next few years. If you're a 10th grader, start researching on the whole process from now on. Start building your ECA profile. See the ECA section for more info. If you're an 11th grader or above, start TODAY! Map out your remaining time, start studying for tests like SAT, IELTS or DET. You don't have much time left, try to work efficiently and strengthen your profile. Make sure you space out everything though because otherwise you’re going to get burnt out.
Don't worry if you're new to this whole thing. This wiki was built to help students like yourself in every possible way. Keep on reading to learn more about the entire process.
The Admission Timeline
As mentioned earlier, if you don't want to take a gap year, you need to start you application during the 12th grade. Most applications start in August and end in early January.
As you can see in the timeline above, you have to submit your application before your 12th grade year ends and you'll get your decisions sometime in March. After you get into your preffered uni, the classes start in September.
If you don't know what ED, EA or REA means, don't worry. We'll discuss about them later in the Types of Application section.